Garlic

An all round wonder drug sans Achilles heel, used to treat an array of ailments since the dawn of civilization. Ayurvedic medicine considers Garlic of medicinal qualities second to none of the spices. Western medicine categorizes garlic as a blood clot fighter of Achilles class. What's your class honey? A 1981 study of the diets of 15 countries by researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that those nations with higher garlic consumption had lower rates of heart disease.

Ginger

 

Used in Asia for centuries to various ailments.

Velliche Miris (Red dry chillis)

Ripe chillies may be cream, yellow orange or even purple-black & easy to dry in the sun or in a slow oven. Used whole, powdered & freshly chipped in the same dish.

Uluhal (Fenugreek)

 

This hard brown, square-shaped seed with an unpleasant scent needs only a small pinch to flavour curries.
 

Maduru (Sweet Cumin)

 

Used in sweet dishes & various alcoholic liqueurs.

Suduru (Cumin)

 

A pungent & distinctive flavours that help make curries.
Best bought whole & you can grind before use.
 

Sadikka (Nutmeg)

 

The fruits of the nutmeg tree produce two different spices. Nutmeg - Though widely available in the island not used generally for cooking in spite of its quality to improve the flavour of a curry. Mace - The lacy membrane covering the nutmeg that has been ground to powder.

Sera (Lemon Grass)

 

Fresh Sera is used to flavour meat and fish. Powder is used to spice up dishes
 

Kottamalli (Coriander)

 

The ripe seeds are basic ingredient of spicy dishes.

Karapincha (Curry leaves)

Always used fresh throughout the island since available all over. Dried or dried & grinded could be used.

Kaha (Tumeric)

 

Cheap yet quality spice. It has the same colour as saffron. Truly one of the marvellous medicinal spices of the world.

Karabunati (Cloves)

 

Quality cloves are rich reddish-brown & large. They are really undilated flower buds. Use with discretion. An aid to digestion. Proven excellent remedy for toothache.

Goraka (Gamboge)

 

This colour of liquorice, it's sharp, sour taste is used to flavour and thicken fish gravy, meat & vegetable sauces. Aggod substitute for this spice is Tamarind paste.

Abba (Mustard)

 

Black mustard seed is very pungent & acrid. It is used whole, powdered or finely ground, in everything from pickles & chutneys to meat, fish & vegetables dishes.

Sri Lankan Spices

Extracted from ParadiseLanka

In the 16th century Ceylon, as it was then known, was discovered by Portuguese who soon began trading in cinnamon and other spices. The Dutch and British followed bringing with them their own history and influences, forming a strong Western presence which created a history of food expressed with spices which can be tasted in the dishes today.

Cinnamon

 

Cinnamon is the dried bark of various laurel trees in the cinnamomun family. Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark that are rolled, pressed and dried. True Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka. It has a strong, sweet and woody fragrance. Cinnamon is used in cakes, cookies, and desserts throughout the world. It is also used in savory chicken and lamb dishes from the Middle East. In American cooking, Cinnamon is often paired with apples and used in other fruit and cereal dishes. Stick Cinnamon is used in pickling and for flavouring hot beverages.

Cardamom

 

Cardamom is the seed of a tropical fruit in the ginger family known as Elettaria Cardamomum. The seeds are found in oval shaped fruit pods that are between 1/4 and 1 inch long. It has an intense, pungent, sweet flavor. A small amount of Cardamom will add a tempting flavor to coffee cake, Danish pastry, specialty breads and apple pie. Try Cardamom the Arabic way and add a little to your ground coffee before brewing, then sweeten and top with cream.

Cloves

 

Cloves are the rich, brown, dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium Aromaticum, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The name comes from the French "clou" meaning nail. They have a strong, pungent aroma and tastes rather sweet. Traditionally, cloves have been used in spice cookies and cakes.